Happy (blaachh PUKE!) birthday

My daughter had a birthday yesterday, and was up all night puking her guts out. We're now cleaning up the damage. She sleeps in a loft bed and didn't quite make it. Do the math. Today is her party at the movies with eight friends, we have already paid for it and now don't know what to do. She's stopped throwing up, and says she feels better, but we really aren't taking any chances. We have about 4 hours to figure out this little dilemma. 

When presented with a birthday present it really isn't good protocol to puke on them.

Cheers.

Some days are just crazier than others

Happy birthday to my daughter - you turn 8 today.

I can remember you being small enough to fit on a couch cushion, when you didn't walk or talk, when you rode your bike for the first time, your first tooth, your first play-date. A lot of firsts. Now you are 8. You have grown out of that awkward toddler stage into a little girl who wants to wear dresses to school, worries that her shoes don't match your nylons, you want to paint your nails and wear earrings, and the Jonas Brothers are your new best friends. How you have changed over such a short time. When I look around my home I see things that I had when you were born, they haven't changed! My coffee cup was being used the day you came home, the living room table held your baby carrier, we even have plants that age. How is it that life has a way of changing so much while our lives themselves appear to be static? You have made our lives dynamic. Not the things in our house, but a little girl who takes on every day as a new learning experience. Happy birthday bug. Even though we aren't really celebrating today, it's still your day to start again. Just like you do every day.

Now as for the reason we're not celebrating today;

My son is having his Confirmation tonight. 

The Bishop of London has seen fit to schedule such an event on bug's day. How rude. Bug wanted us to call him and have it moved. They wouldn't budge.  He has his new suit, family is on the way, the refreshments are being prepared, etc, etc. Good thing that everyone is home today to help with this. Leading me to the third events today - I'm still sick. I still have the flu which has racked me for almost a week now. I feel like sleeping at any given point and I can't get warm. This really sucks. I took another sick day today, I just hope I don't fall asleep while playing chauffeur to the wife while she takes care of the last minute details. Snoozing between deep breathes will be the game today.

This morning I put the news on to see how the world is celebrating with us today, not good. Not a day of memorable events my family can look at down the road and relate to our little world, however, important none the less. The Mumbai terrorist attacks claimed more victims overnight. There are now 147 confirmed dead including at least one Canadian. The coordinated attacks at 10 sites through the city have the hallmarks of Al Quaeda written all over them. The financial centre of the world's most populous democracy. These attacks had the potential of making 9-11 look like a shooting gallery at a local fair. Luckily the morons did not quite achieve their goals. Thank God.

Secondly, it appears that our government will endure a vote of non-confidence on Monday. The opposition parties thinks the Conservative government is doing nothing to bail this country out of the recession they have now confirmed we're in. So, bring 'em down! They are talking about a ruling coalition of opposition parties to take over the government. This is unheard of in Canada. Scary when you think that Gilles Duceppe is a separatist leader of the Bloc Quebecois whose sole desire is to have Quebec separate from the rest of the country. In a coalition, the Prime Minister's seat can go to one of three people - the Liberal leader who is leaving in May because he failed to lead, reducing his party's status to the lowest number of seats EVER, The New Democratic leader, who I like, I just don't agree with his party's doctrine, and a separatist. Monday will be interesting. How do you fix the economy in Canada? Call an election! We're all doomed.

Happy birthday bug.

Happy confirmation Munch.

Happy sick day dad.

Happy running around getting ready for it all Kim.

Let's all hope those having a normal boring day enjoy it.

Cheers.

To my American friends

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your turkey, we eat ours without snow. 

I'm just sayin.

Cheers.

Sick.

I'm sick and ready to collapse. I hope all you healthy people get it so I won't be alone in my misery.

Cheers.

Sundays are getting weird

Two young children were baptized at church this morning, families were in attendance in the packed house worthy of a rock concert. No empty seats in the house. I'm sure Father's heart rose when he looked out the peep hole prior to mass a the assembled throngs of parishioners. Young and old, black and white, men and women, hundreds in attendance to celebrate, well, nothing really special, except for the baptisms. These of course, are rather routine in our parish. 

Near the end of the service Father asked if there were any medical personnel that could attend an elderly lady who had collapsed. The announcement was made to leave the centre aisle clear for the approaching ambulance, and the recession headed off to the outer aisles. The gathered flock began to disperse as emergency crews arrived to treat the lady. Turns out she was simply suffering from heat stroke and collapsed all bundled up in her coat and scarf. The uncertainty of the situation caused several tense moments. People knelt down immediately to pray for her while others headed in to help. Father, the consomate professional kept the situation calm and the service moving along. 

I'm sure the parents of the two young girls freshly baptized will have stories to tell them years from now. 

The lady is fine, she refused to go the hospital once she was revived. We all headed downstairs for coffee and snacks. 

I started the day addressing the parish council about the new website I'm building for the church. I'd love to post the link, but there's no use, the site is a blank shell at this point - nobody has offered any content! One page actually says "Write something witty here." I spent the first 45 minutes of that meeting listening to how disorganized the parish is and how there is need for fresh ideas and fresh blood. Ironic that I was there trying to fix exactly that. The funny thing about all this - I'm not catholic. Kim likes to point out at any point that I'm a heathen, a pagen of sorts, I'm still protesting. My faith is strong, I am quite involved in the church, I just don't see the need to go to class to be a good Christian. I was born and raised Protestant, and as much as I encourage my children's Catholic upbringing, and the fact that I prefer the Catholic mass, I'm still not convinced that I should convert.  That' another story.  I accept the heathen title, and will gladly write that on my name tag just to get the looks.

I am actively campaigning to bring the church into the 21st century with the website and the facebook page, this is how to attract the youth. This is how to get new blood in the door. This is how is has be in order to grow the parish. However, seeing that crowd today, you wouldn't think it's necessary - more in there today than most Christmas masses I've seen. It'll be standing room only on that day!

The youth group in this parish is struggling because of a lack of involvement from the parish, not the kids. They will participate, but someone has to get to them. Word of mouth just doesn't work anymore. You want to get to the kids? Get online! That's all I'm saying, connect with them. I really don't think the council gets that. At the end of my little presentation I was thanked for my input and promised that I would have support and ideas. Father took me aside and said "That's a side of you I've never seen; passionate and articulate, convincing and determined to get the point across." 

That's a side of me that comes out when I know I'm right! I know  this will work, and they don't quite get it. We'll see, the hardest part of any progress is getting through the politics involved. The people in charge usually have their own agenda they're pushing. They'll come around. The youth will see to that once they get the word. We have a lot of kids in this parish who want to get involved, with any luck they will take the ball and run with it. 

I spend about 4 hours today involved in a church I don't belong to in the general sense. It's time for those who do belong and help govern this parish to do likewise.

Cheers.